Partnerships among the various freight modes – air, rail, waterways and trucking – are crucial to the effective planning of freight transportation needs. To facilitate collaboration between these multiple modes, SPC hosts a Freight Forum where representatives of these various sectors are invited to share information on issues and opportunities relevant to their operations; establish relationships with other freight interests in the region; and, learn about current and upcoming SPC activities. SPC uses information gained at these meetings in the design and implementation of freight-specific roadway improvements such flyover ramps, and in the evaluation of applications for state and federal grant funding.

Recognizing the role of freight (manufacturing and logistics) in local economic development, SPC is assisting efforts to attract emerging industries, build enhanced connections to the global marketplace, and protect mobility options to our commercial and industrial partners.

SPC's Regional Freight Plan incorporates a multimodal freight transportation perspective that encompasses over 25,000 miles of highway; over 30 railroads, including 3 major Class I operators and 2 regional providers; waterway freight along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, and through the Port of Pittsburgh as one of the busiest inland ports in the nation; connections for air cargo service through the Pittsburgh International Airport; and existing or planned intermodal or multimodal freight transfer centers across the Southwestern Pennsylvania region.

2016 Activities

Sara Walfoort talks about SPC's Freight Forum and remarks on some of its many recent accomplishments and activities.

The region supports a robust, multimodal freight transportation network that encompasses more than 25,000 miles of highways, 5,000 miles of rail line, 200 miles of commercially navigable waterways on the Ohio River System, as well as domestic and international air cargo access.

The10-county SPC region functions within a larger geographic context when evaluating freight movement needs. Local plants and facilities operate within local, regional, national and global markets, and require connectivity to those markets. The four “mega-regions” in which Southwestern Pennsylvania operates include the Chicago/Great Lakes area, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Northeast Coast mega-region. Communication, coordination and collaboration with partners in these larger regions will facilitate regional freight initiatives.

Bulk commodities (coal, aggregate, minerals) continue to represent the bulk of material moved in the ten-county region by weight. As such, they are the commodities most visible on local roadways and waterways.

Directionally, about one-quarter of the region’s freight tonnage moves internally through the region; 35% moves outbound from the region; and 41% is received from outside the region. More than half (57%) of the freight tonnage moved within, to or from the regionwas carried by trucks.

The identification of highway corridors vital to the movement of these trucks is occurring at the national, statewide and local levels, with the designation of a National Highway Freight Network, a Pennsylvania Statewide Freight Network, and the on-going identification of Critical Urban and Critical Rural Freight Corridors in the SPC region.